Fruit-drier.



H s a I e a 6 O 6 O a 5 s 2 A. N. GODFREY.

FRUH DRIER.

APPucAnou FILED JUNE 23. I917- Patented May 28,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET X.

gnvc'ul'o z FLN GODFREY M F (mu A. N. GODFREY.

FRUIT DRIER.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 23.1911.

1,267,655 Patented May28,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

H. N. GODFREY*" 531; N, )LL-a A. N. GODFREY.

FRUIT DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, I911. 1,267,655. Patented-May 28, 1918..

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HPLGODFRHY H s H L ALBERT N; GODFREY, OF WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON.

FRUIT-DRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 23, 1917. Serial N 0. 176,523.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT U. Gonrnnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVenatchee, in the county of Chelan, State of lVashington, have invented a new and useful F ruit-Drier; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art, to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices which are used in drying fruit and like products, the object of the invention being to provide a drier which embodies novel features of construction whereby fruit or the like can be quickly and thoroughly dried in a most satisfactory manner with the utmost economy both in the use of labor and the consumption of fuel.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a fruit drier which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction and can'be built at small expense, which has an elastic capacity and will operate economically upon both large and small runs without loss or waste of fuel and in which the heated air is utilized to the fullest possible extent in extracting the moisture from the fruit.

\Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a front elevation of a fruit drier constructed in accordance with the invention, portions being broken away and shown in section. v a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view through the lower portion of the drier, one of the columns or units of the drying tower being in operation, while the other unit is cut off from the heating chamber.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinalvertical sectional view through the lower portion of the drier, stacks of drying trays being shown in position upon one set of horizontal cleats.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view through one of the drying trays.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view showing a corner of one of the drying tray frames.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a carriage for supporting a series of trays.

Fig. is a transverse sectional view through the carriage.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1 designates a furnace chamber upon which the drying tower A is mounted,

and within which the furnace B is arranged.

The drying tower A may be subdivided into PatentedMay 28, 1918..

a series of independent columns or units,

and in the present instance there are two of these units 2, the furnace B having a sufficient capacity to supply the necessary heat for both of the units when it is desired to operate the plant to its fullest capacity. A trap door 3 is arranged at the bottom of each of the units 2 and provides a means for cutting ofi either one of the units from the fur nace chamber when it is not desired to use that particular unit.

The furnace B may be of any suitable construction. As shown upon the. drawing it includes a horizontally disposed and substantially cylindrical body portion 4, the forward end of which extends through the front of the. furnace chamber where it is provided with the usual doors 5 and 6 for the insertion of fuel into the furnace and the removal of ashes therefrom. The door 6' is provided with the usual damper 7 for controlling the inlet of air into the furnace. The rear end of the furnace body & is provided with an upwardly extending head 8 which has a. damper 9 mounted therein, said damper being controlled by a handle 10. A smoke pipe 11 leads from the upper end of the head 8, while a pair of horizontally dis posed and substantially U-shaped heating pipes 12 extend longitudinally of the furnace chamber 1 on opposite sides of the furnace B andv have the respective arms thereof extended inwardly and connected to the furnace head 8 on opposite sides of the damper 9. When starting the, furnace the damper 9 is opened, thereby giving a direct draft which enables the furnace to be fired up Without difficulty, and without filling the heating pipes or coils 12 with heavy deposits of soot. When the firev is well started the neonate damper 9 is closed, thereby causing all of the products of combustion to pass through the heating pipes 12 before entering the smoke pipe 11. These heating pipes 152, in combination with the furnace body l, expose a large heating surface which causes the air in the furnace chamber 1 to be eifectively heated with aminimum fuel consumption. The base of the furnace chamher 1 is provided upon opposite sides thereof with air inlets 13 which are controlled by slide dampers 14:. thereby enabling the supply of fresh air to the furnace chamber to be regulated in the necessary manner. The thorough heating of the air is an essential factor, for the double purpose of increasing its drying power and of inducing a draft.

V/ith this construction the degree of heat.

is under the perfect control of the operator through the furnace draft, the firing, and the adjustment of the damper of the air inlets 13. By regulating the furnace heat and opening or closing the air inlets 13 the furnace can be used economically in connection with both of the drying units 2 or one of the said units 2, and the proper heat obtained for causing the air to carry off the proper amount of moisture, the fullest elliciency being obtained when the air is nearly saturated by the time it reaches the top of the drier and is about to be discharged The units 2 of the drying tower A are formed with end walls 15 which have a spaced and substantially parallel relation to each other, and side walls which have a zigzag construction, being formed with reersely inclined portions 16 and 16 respectively. The drying trays upon which the fruitis mounted are designed to be superposed upon each other with horizontal spaces between the individual trays and arranged in vertical columns C extending upwardly through the units 2 of the drying tower. The reversely inclined portions 16 and 16 of the side walls of the tower units 2 are correspondingly arranged, thereby providing substantially triangular air pockets 1'? which are arranged on opposite sides of each of the columns C of drying trays and have an alternating relation to each other. The heated air as it circulates upwardly through the units 2 of the drying tower will thus be deflected baclr and forth througl the horizontal spaces between the drying trays, as well as permitted circulate upwardly through the perforate bottoms of the drying trays. The alternate arrangement of the triangular air pockets 1'? on opposite sides of each of the columns C of drying trays will tend to promote the back and forth circulation of the heated air through the horizontal spaces between the drying trays, thereby enabling the heated air to be utilized to the fullest possible ertent for extracting the moisture from the fruit, with the result that it will be substantially saturated when it reaches the upper end of the column of drying trays preparatory to being discharged from the drier.

The individual drying trays D may be arranged in stacks and supported upon cleats 18. In the present instance each stack is shown as including six superposed drying trays, although the number of these trays can be increased or decreased as desired. Fault-able doors 19 are provided at the front and rear of the drying tower for the insertion and removal of the stacks of drying trays, the trays being preferably inserted in position fromone end of the drying tower and withdrawn from the opposite end thereof. In the present instance the hori' zontal length of the drying tower A is substantially equal to the length of three of the drying trays B, so that each pair of cleats 18 support three stacks of the drying trays. This is illustrated quite clearly by Fig.

The individual drying trays D are formed with frames, of which the sides 20 are constructed of sheet 1. etal and have an angular cross section. Each frame member includes a vertical flange of which the upper edge is returned at 2-9, and a horizontal flange of which the inner edge is returned at 9.0", the horizontal flanges supporting a perforate bottom 21 of woi en wire meshing or other suitable material. These perforate bottoms 21 are preferably removable so that they can be bodily removed and thoroughly cleansed without difiiculty. Suitable means is provided for maintaining the drying trays D in a spaced relation when they are superposed upon each other in a stack, and for this purpose tongues 22 are cut from the returned upper edges 2O of the vertical side flanges of the frame members, said tongues projecting upwardly from the sides of the tray at intervals so that a second tray superposed thercon will be supported above the lower tray in a spaced relation thereto. The fruit or other product to be dried is ,dis-

tributed upon the drying trays and the drying trays assembled in stacks for introduction into the various units 2 of the. drying tower. hese stacks of drying trays form the vertical columns C which extend upwardly through the units 2 of the drying tower, all of the trays being maintained in a horizontal spaced relation to each other, so that the heated air from the furnace chamber 1 as it rises through the units 2 will be deflected back and forth through the horizontal spaces between the drying trays, as well as permitted to circulate upwardly through the perforate bottoms of the dry ing trays. The heated air will thus be enabled to act upon the fruit or other products in proper manner for extracting the moisture therefrom. As soon as the fruit has been sufliciently dried it is withdrawn from the drying tower, and with a proper working crew the drying operation can be carried on continuously after the drier has once been started.

A stack 23 is provided at the top of the drying tower A, said stack being of a sufficient height for cooperation with the drying tower to insure a proper draft for the drying tower and furnace chamber. In Fig. l a swinging cap 24: is shown as arranged over the upper end of the stack or ventilating shaft 23, said cap being pivoted at 25 upon a supporting standard 26, and having cables 27 connected to opposite ends thereof. By manipulating these cables 27 the cap 24 can be swung downwardly into a properly inclined position, as indicated by dotted lines, thereby preventing wind from blowing down the stack or ventilating shaft and interfering with the operation of the drier. By properly seating the cap 24, so

that the top thereof will be inclineddownwardly toward the direction from which the wind is blowing, it will be obvious that the wind will not only be prevented from interfering with the operation of the drier, but will enable a better draft to be obtained.

In the operation of the drier the furnace B can either be operated to its full capacity and both of the units 2 of the drying tower used, or the furnace operated at substant; tially half of its capacity and only one of the units 2 used. A drier with an elastic capacity is thus obtained, and one which can be operated in connection with small runs or full runs without material loss or waste of fuel. The repeated deflection of the heated airback and forth through the horizontal spaces between the drying trays of the columns C, due to the zigzag formation of the side Walls of the units and the provision of the alternately arranged triangular air chambers 17 enables the heated air to operate most effectively upon the fruit or other product with which the drying trays are filled.

A slight modification is illustrated. by Figs. 6 and 7, in which special carriages E are provided for supporting a series of the fruit trays. These carriages, where proper hoisting facilities are provided, can be constructed to receive quite a number of trays, and will greatly reduce the labor of handling the fruit, from the carrying table, through the drier, to the curing bins, thereby enabling the device to be operated economically on a large scale, where it is necessary to provide for handling large quantities of the fruit.

The carriages E are mounted upon the wheels or rollers 30 and have a skeleton format-ion, being open at the top, bottom,

sides and ends so that the air can circulate freely through the same. The sides of the carriages are shown as reinforced by the diagonal braces 31, and as provided with cleats 32 for the support of the removable tray members 33. Where these carriages are provided it is not necessary to construct the tray members with side walls, and each tray member may consist merely of a sheet of woven wire meshing or perforate material having the edges thereof suitably reinforced by a sheet metal binding, substantially as in the previous instance. WVhen the drier is operated upon a small scale the drying trays can be handled individually, although with a large device which is intended to be operated on a large scale the tray members 33 would be used in connection with the carriages.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A drier including a tower formed with zigzag side walls of which corresponding portions have a substantially parallel relation, and a vertical column of horizontally disposed and horizontally spaced superposed trays supported within the tower between the zigzag side walls, the said zigzag side walls providing alternately arranged air pockets on opposite sides of the column of trays for deflecting the air back and forth between the trays.

2. A drier including a vertical tower formed with zigzag side walls having reversely inclined portions, a vertical column of horizontally disposed and horizontally spaced superposed trays supported within the column between the zigzag side walls, the reversely inclined portions of the side walls serving to deflect air back and forth between the horizontally spaced drying trays, and ventilating means for controlling the passage of air through the tower.

3. A drier including a tower formed with zigzag side walls, horizontally arranged tray supporting cleats within the tower, and a column of horizontally spaced superposed trays supported upon the cleats, the zigzag side walls providing alternately arranged air pockets on opposite sides of the column of trays for deflecting the air back and forth between the trays.

a. A drier including a tower having corresponding doors in the front and rear thereof and formed with zigzag side walls, horizontally disposed tray supporting cleats ar ranged within the tower and extending between the two sets of doors, and horizontally disposed trays supported by the cleats and adapted to be introduced into the tower through one set of doors and withdrawn therefrom through the opposite set of doors, the zigzag side walls providing alternately arranged air pockets on opposite sides of the column of trays for deflecting the air back and forth between the trays.

5. A. drier including a furnace chamber, heating means within the furnace chamber, a tower extending upwardly from the furnace chamber and formed with zigzag side walls having reversely inclined portions, a ventilating shaft at the upper end of the tower, and a column of superposed and horizontally spaced drying trays arranged within the tower, the reversely inclined portions of the side walls thereof serving to deflect the air back and forth between the horizontally spaced drying trays.

6. A drier including a furnace chamber provided with valve controlled air inlets, heating means within the furnace chamber, a tower extending upwardly from the fur nace chamber and formed with zigzag side walls having reversely inclined portions, a ventilating shaft at the upper end of the tower, and a column of superposed and horizontally spaced drying trays arranged within the tower, the reversely inclined portions of the side walls thereof serving to deflect the air back and forth between the trays.

T. A drier including a vertical tower having corresponding doors in the front and rear thereof and formed with zigzag side walls having reversely inclined portions, and a vertical column of horizontally disposed and horizontally spaced trays supported within the column between the zigzag side walls, the trays being adapted to be introduced into the tower through one set of doors and withdrawn therefrom through the opposite set of doors, and the reversely inclined portions of the side walls serving to deflect the air back and forth within the trays.

8. A drier including a furnace chamber provided with a valve controlled air inlet, heating means within the furnace chamber. a drying tower extending upwardly from the furnace chamber and subdivided into a series of vertical units, each unit being formed with zigzag side walls having reverscly inclined portions, a trap door between the lower end of each unit and the furnace flopies of naezeee door between the lower end of each drying tower unitand the furnace chamber, a ventilating shaft extending upwardly from the drying tower, and cleats within the drying tower units for supporting superposed drying trays, the reversely inclined portions of the side wallsserving to deflect the air back and forth between the drying trays.

10. A drier including a furnace chamber,

heating means therein, a drying tower ex,

tending upwardly from the furnace cham her and subdivided into a series of vertical units, each unit being formed with zigzag side walls having reversely inclined portions and having corresponding doors in the front and rear thereof, horizontally extending cleats arranged within each unit of the tower and extending between the two sets of doors, a trap door between the lower end of each unit of the tower and the furnace chamber, and drying trays adapted to be inserted into the units through one set of doors and withdrawn from the units through the opposite set of doors, said drying trays forming vertical columns within the units, and the reversely inclined portions of the zigzag side walls of the units serving to deflect the air back and forth between the trays.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT N. GODFREY.

Witnesses:

W. W. GRAY, Jenn A. GETTAELY.

this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing'the flomm issioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

Sill 

